Recently, I stumbled across a copy of Piecework magazine, (the January-February 2011 issue) that had a pattern for a knitted Balmoral bonnet.

Now, I'm not a knitter, but my mother is, after a fashion. It took her most of March to follow the instructions and knit the bonnet. Just prior to throwing the thing into hot water in the washing machine, it looked like a limp stocking hat. After ten minutes in hot water, followed by a cold water rinse cycle, it looked more like a classic bonnet.

After sewing on a ribbon bottom edge, and the toorie, it looks more like this.

It will get its first kilt outing this Saturday when I go for a bicycle ride in Portland. There is a tweed themed ride going on, and I figured that a tweed argyle jacket and kilt would fit right in.